“If you were really confident, you wouldn’t have called so quickly.”
— No. I called because I was curious what state of mind you were in to say such an insolent thing. Even if you really did release that article, it wouldn’t bother me at all.
“It might not bother you, hyung, but it would definitely bother Hanju. Especially the Chairman who I hear cares for you a lot.”
This one hit the mark. That’s what it felt like.
And that meant the Chairman didn’t know the details about this marriage. Or even if he knew and was turning a blind eye, he wouldn’t tolerate going that far.
I now had a rough sense of how far I could push this.
— …Indeed, you’re quick-witted. And gutsy too. The more I see you, the more I like you.
“Then all the more reason you should hear my answer, right?”
— …So, what’s your answer?
“Let’s get married.”
The moment I impulsively gave that answer, Jeonghoo’s expression, who was standing in front of me, instantly hardened.
Finding his expression amusing, I smiled, and Jeonghoo, who was about to grab my collar again, seemed to remember I was on the phone and lowered his hand.
And almost simultaneously, his voice came through the receiver.
— That’s unexpected. Surrendering so quickly?
“I suddenly felt like it.”
— Suddenly?
“Yes. I live without thinking about tomorrow anyway.”
— Right. You seemed that way.
“So, let’s meet first. Let’s talk in detail. Two weeks is too short, so wouldn’t it be better if we talked directly?”
— Alright. Where to?
“Where are you now?”
— The main house.
“Then come to my apartment.”
Suddenly, the line went silent.
Wondering if the call had been disconnected, I checked the screen again, but the call timer was still running. So thinking the call quality might be poor, I asked again.
“Can’t you hear me?”
— No… I can hear you. It’s just a bit…
“A bit?”
— …surprising.
“What is?”
— …No, it’s nothing. Just talking to myself. This is… refreshing in its own way.
He muttered in an incredulous voice that this was quite interesting, and after a moment, he even laughed.
It felt a bit deranged, but that wasn’t my concern, so I quickly changed the subject.
“So, when will you come?”
— It’ll take about an hour. I’m in the middle of wrapping up work from today, so I’ll head to your apartment as soon as I finish.
“Alright then. See you in a bit. I’ll send you the address in a message.”
— I know it.
“How—”
It seemed that skilled lawyer hyung had passed along my personal information as well.
No matter how little rights omegas have in the marriage market, addresses are supposed to be confidential. Because you never know what might happen.
It’s ironic that health records are public but addresses are not, but that’s how the system works.
“Then, check the address and come. Please call when you’re about to leave.”
— Sure.
As I lowered my hand holding the phone after the call ended, Jeonghoo, standing in front of me, blocked my way without daring to touch me again.
“Are you crazy? You’re going to marry him?”
“I originally wasn’t planning to, but I suddenly changed my mind. Didn’t you say I’d do anything to mess with you? That seems right. If it means I can get back at you, I might even get married.”
“Do you think that will work? What if I tell him everything? Do you think his family will still proceed with the marriage?”
In response to his desperate threat, this time Junghyun laughed.
“I’d appreciate it if you did. Or should I do it myself? We’re meeting soon anyway. Want to come along? No, how about a face-to-face confrontation while we’re at it? Should I call Seojun too? He lives right across from me anyway.”
“Hey!”
Seeing Jeonghoo yell as if that was the last thing he wanted, Junghyun turned serious.
“That’s why you should have stopped at the right time. If you had just ended it when I was pretending not to know, neither of us would have had to face this mess. You know my temper, so why provoke me?”
“You started it first.”
“That’s your paranoia. I’m not that interested in you. The same goes for Cha Jaehyuk.”
Suddenly, Jeonghoo laughed, as if to say “be reasonable.”
“You’re not interested in Cha Jaehyuk? You?”
“Not at all.”
“Don’t make me laugh. You’re a stalker.”
“The stalker isn’t me, it’s you.”
When I looked at him with a face that suggested I might expose everything, Jeonghoo, whose face quickly turned bright red, shut his mouth.
“I always say this, but you don’t know moderation. You should have maintained boundaries.”
“The one who doesn’t know moderation is you.”
“I know exactly where I should stop. Perhaps that hyung realized that too. That’s why he wants to marry me.”
Just as I finished speaking, my phone rang with impeccable timing. Jeonghoo, startled by the sound, looked at the phone screen, and I confirmed it was the taxi.
It seemed the taxi had just arrived at the designated area.
“Well, let’s try not to see each other from now on, if possible.”
I turned away from the tense Jeonghoo and started walking toward the convenience store I had designated as the taxi’s destination.
By now, the sun had completely set, and the street was immersed in thick darkness.
The rollercoaster of a day was coming to an absurd conclusion.
In that moment, I sighed.
My temper is the problem.
* * *
After the call ended abruptly with a greeting, Jaehyuk, standing on the terrace, looked down at his phone in confusion.
While listening to stereo-like nagging disguised as a family meeting from his grandfather, who was furious about the live broadcast incident, and the family members forcibly summoned by the grandfather, he saw the message Junyoung received and couldn’t believe his eyes.
‘Your fiancé wants you to call him right now. He says if you don’t call within an hour, he’ll spread news that he’s pregnant with his ex’s child.’
Laughing in disbelief at this message that clearly showed a determination to break off the marriage, he suddenly realized something.
That was exactly the kind of article that shouldn’t get out at this moment.
Moreover, judging by the investigation results, this guy would definitely do it, so he quickly excused himself saying he had an urgent call to make, stepped out, and called immediately.
Then an unexpected answer came.
That part was fine. Although he didn’t know why his mind had suddenly changed.
The problem was…
“He has no manners…”
He remembered Jeonghoo being polite, and Jeonghoo’s younger brother Jeongmin being a proper and well-mannered guy, but this one had absolutely no manners.
The age difference wasn’t just two or three years, but a full five years, yet he had been doing whatever he wanted since they first met, and he became more rude with each encounter.
“Where on earth did he learn his manners?”
“Who learned what?”
While muttering to himself, irritated and angry, feeling like he’d been hit on the back of the head and his pride was hurt, a familiar voice suddenly came from behind.
Reflexively turning around at the sound, he saw Yongwoo had come out onto the terrace.
At the appearance of his friend who had been his unofficial fiancé for a long time, Jaehyuk sighed and changed the subject.
“Why did you come out?”
The air was cold after sunset. Especially on this side where the sun didn’t shine well.
“Because you were taking so long to come back in. Without you, the conversation doesn’t work anyway, and it’s uncomfortable, so I came out for a moment.”
Saying that Jaehyuk always came here when he wanted to be alone, Yongwoo approached the railing of the north-facing terrace on the second floor of the mansion, which was rarely visited, and looked around the dark garden.
Jaehyuk smiled faintly at that gesture, which was like a kind of ritual, always the same.
Because it was so unchanged. Whether it was when he first came to this terrace at seven years old or now, 24 years later.
His face, his expression, the way he looked around.
The only things that had changed were his grown height and the relationship between them.
“So, who has such bad manners?”
He seemed to have heard quite a bit of the conversation. At Yongwoo’s question, delivered with his always gentle and kind smile, Jaehyuk briefly considered telling the truth, then made his decision.
He would find out sooner or later anyway. He’d be seeing him annoyingly often from now on.
“The guy who’s going to share a bed with me from now on.”
At this explicit explanation, Yongwoo asked again with a slightly flustered face.
“The one you met today?”
“Yes.”
“What did he do to make you say that?”
“Everything about him irritates me.”
Recalling that tone of voice that seemed to know everything about him and kept poking at his weaknesses, Jaehyuk ran his fingers irritably through his hair, and Yongwoo laughed. As if tickled, he narrowed his eyes.
That laugh was a bit annoying.
“What?”
“It’s the first time I’ve seen you this angry.”
“You wouldn’t be laughing if you experienced it yourself.”
In fact, that’s why he chose that guy, but after experiencing it himself, it wasn’t something to laugh about.
Being clever and perceptive is an advantage when someone is on your side, but a big risk when they’re an enemy. Especially when you don’t know the other person’s weaknesses.
“Seems like he’s not an ordinary character. For you to react this way?”
“He’s definitely not normal by any standard.”
“Yet you’re still going to marry him?”
“That’s why I’m doing it.”
“Doesn’t that make you feel pathetic?”
At Yongwoo’s rather sharp observation, delivered with a faint smile, Jaehyuk stared at him with a slightly bewildered expression.
